Getting Ready for Thanksgiving!

It's my favorite time of the year! I love to make all things Thanksgiving and Christmas. There's so many choices and ideas. Here are some of my favorite recipes for a great Thanksgiving meal.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Thyme

Ingredients:
2 lb. brussels sprouts
5 oz. bacon, diced
4 shallots, finely chopped
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups chicken or turkey stock
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 tsp. salt
Directions:
Cut or pull off any dry outer leaves from the brussels sprouts. Trim away any brown spots and slice off the dry stem end. Cut the brussels sprouts into quarters. Set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a bowl. Pour off the fat in the pan and discard.

Return the pan to medium heat, add the shallots and thyme and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the shallot mixture to the bowl with the bacon. Pour 1/4 cup of the stock into the pan and, using a wooden spoon, stir to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom. Pour the stock over the bacon mixture.

Using paper towels, wipe out the pan and place over medium-high heat. Melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the brussels sprouts and salt and stir to coat evenly. Cook until the brussels sprouts begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir again, then cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. Stir in 1/4 cup of the stock. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally and adding more stock as needed, until the brussels sprouts are soft, about 15 minutes more. Add the bacon mixture and any remaining stock and stir to incorporate. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately.

Sausage, Chestnut and Fennel Dressing

Ingredients:
1 box (16 oz.) focaccia stuffing
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 yellow onions, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups prepared French chestnuts, roughly
chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 1/4 lb. mild Italian sausage, casings removed
6 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 to 3 1/4 cups chicken stock, warmed, plus
more as needed
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 375°F. Butter a 3 1/2- to 4-quart casserole dish.

Put the focaccia stuffing in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, celery and fennel and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring to scrape up the browned bits, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add the chestnuts and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onion mixture to the bowl with the focaccia stuffing.

Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and crumbling with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the bowl with the focaccia stuffing. Add the parsley to the bowl and stir to combine. Stir in 3 cups of the stock. The dressing should be moist but not soggy. Add more stock if needed and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the dressing to the prepared casserole dish, cover with a piece of buttered aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden and crispy, 15 to 20 minutes more. Serves 10 to 12.

Green Bean Casserole

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French Fried Onions

Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture.

Sprinkle with the remaining onions. Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Mashed Potatoes

I don't use a specific recipe, I dump it all in and test as I go.

6-8 yukon potatoes, peeled and cubed
lots of butter, maybe a stick or two (fattening, I know)
a pint or so of sour cream (fattening again)
1/2 cup of milk
salt and pepper

Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil; cook for 20-25 minutes or until very tender. Drain well. Add milk, butter, sour cream, salt and pepper; mash until light and fluffy. Test and taste as you go, especially before adding all the sour cream and butter.

Sweet Potatoes

3 pounds sweet potatoes (about 8), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups mini marshmallows or chopped regular marshmallows
Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover with cold water by 1 inch; salt generously. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, and return to pan. Heat over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 2 minutes.
Remove pan from heat; add milk, butter, and nutmeg. Mash until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Transfer sweet-potato mixture to a 2-quart baking dish. (To make ahead, refrigerate, up to 1 day.)
Top casserole with marshmallows; bake until center is warmed through and marshmallows are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

Herb-Butter Roast Turkey

Ingredients:
1 jar (1 lb. 2.2 oz.) turkey brine (I get it at Williams Sonoma)
1 fresh turkey, 16 to 18 lb., neck and giblets removed
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 Tbs. roasted garlic
1 Tbs. finely chopped shallot
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbs. chopped green onion, white and light green portions
1 tsp. chopped fresh sage
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Prepare the brine according to the package instructions for a whole turkey. Let cool to room temperature.

Place the turkey in a brining bag and pour in the brine. Using the sealing clip, seal the bag securely; for added stability, place the bag in a pot or on a baking sheet. Refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.

Remove the turkey from the brine; discard the brine. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Truss the turkey as desired using kitchen twine. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.

In a small bowl, stir together the butter, roasted garlic, shallot, mustard, honey, parsley, thyme, green onion, sage and pepper until well combined. Set aside.

Roast the turkey for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Continue roasting, brushing the turkey with the herb butter every 20 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, away from the bone, registers 165°F and into the thigh registers 175°F, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more.

Transfer the turkey to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving. Serves 12 to 14.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
1 piece pre-made pie dough
Whipped cream, for topping
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

Pecan Pie

I always have someone bring this, I never seem to get it turned out just right :-)